1U8 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



right season, which comes when there are two 

 or three combs full of brood and patches of 

 brood in three or four other combs. Queens 

 may be clipped when there are only two or 

 three combs of brood ; but this would come 

 earlier in the spriug, when the warm hours 

 of the day are few and the mornings and 

 evenings are cold. The colonies being low 

 spirited at this time, queens are quite apt to 

 be ' balled,' especially if the queen has been 

 handled or frightened. 



Then it is just as necessary to avoid letting 

 the season get too far advanced, as then 

 seven or eight combs will be filled full of 

 brood, making large areas to search in order 

 to find queens ; the brood would also extend 

 around the lower and side edges of the 

 combs, where queens would be apt to hide 

 and be hard to see ; there are more bees in 

 our way, and, what is still more, when brood 

 is so plentiful the queen seems to be less in- 

 terested in her work, and is more liable to 

 run from comb to comb, or even run off the 

 comb3 entirely on to the side of the hive. 

 When there are not more than two or three 

 combs containing brood in the hive it is 

 rarely that the queen will leave it ; but if 

 several combs are full of brood, the first de- 

 sire of the queen seems to be to get off from 

 it at once. Thus it will be inferred that the 

 most propitious time is after the colonies 

 begin to build up, and before they develop 

 very considerable strength ; and this period 

 probably does not exceed twenty days. Some 

 colonies would be in the best condition soon- 

 er than others, and it would require more or 

 less than twenty days, according to the num- 

 br-r of queens and skill of the operator. 



Next after the time comes the hive. Some 

 may think one hive as good as another ; but 

 this rule is varied. It wants a hive whicW we 

 can get open and find the queen at her reg- 

 ular work undisturbed ; and the first thing 

 encountered is the cover. The !atter should 

 be flexible, so as to be removed gradually to 

 prevent jars or snaps. A telescopic cover of 

 lumber, and the frames covered with enamel 

 cloth, accomplishes this ; but as enamel cloth 

 is eaten and destroyed by the bees it is too 

 much trouble to keep if- renewed ; and it is 

 also best to have a 'V space between the cov- 

 er and top-bars, to avoid propolis. A solid 

 board is propolized around the edges, and 

 nearly always comes up snapping. I have 

 watched many removing the flat board cov- 

 ers, and they stand squarely behind the hive 

 and grasp the cover at each rear corner, and 

 pull straight upward steadily. When the 

 propolis breaks, the cover is raised suddenly 

 and often jumps quite out of their hands. In 

 thus proceeding, the motion is no less pro- 

 nounced than is the shock to the hive and in- 

 mates. It would be a little better to raise 

 one corner first, and, as we pry up with one 

 hand, push down with the other ; but even 

 then a stiff cover must make some report. 



The most satisfactory cover I have found 

 is made by cleating together three or four 

 pieces al)Out one-fourth inch in tliifkness, 

 using three cleats. The cleats hold the light 

 lumber straight, as it has not strength to 

 warp like thicker boards. It allows moisture 

 to pass through them easily, and is quick to 



become dry again. Of course, this thin light 

 wood could stand very little rain and sun, so 

 I put on another cover of tin. The dilficulty 

 with tin lying fiat on the ordinary board cov- 

 ers is, that moisture and sweat from the bees 

 collects on the inside and rusts the tin and 

 rots the wood badly. In this thin cover, the 

 cleats are on the upper side — one on each 

 end and one across the center ; and when the 

 tin is put on it leaves an air-space of the 

 depth of the thickness of the cleats. Then 

 the tin is tacked to the sides but not at the 

 ends, so that the air and moisture can escape. 

 This cover can be removed with the least jar 

 by prying up the corner ; and its bending 

 disposition extends gradually across the hive. 



To skillfully hunt out queens, instead of 

 looking for a bee that is a little longer than 

 any other of tho multitude, we take in the 

 comb at a glance, and locate the queen by a 

 little circular cluster of bees regularly form- 

 ed around a central vacant spot, upon which 

 is one bee alone. A jar or snap in removing 

 the cover or lifting the frames dispels this 

 regularity, some bees going on the war-path 

 while the rest rush into clusters, with the 

 queen hiding promiscuously among them 

 with about as much disorder as it would 

 make for a man to enter a ballroom and ex- 

 claim at the top of his voice that the build- 

 ing was on tire. 



If the colony has brood in five or six combs, 

 and it is earlier than eleven o'clock in the 

 day, we may expect the queen to be on one 

 of the two middle combs. If there are six 

 or seven combs of brood, then it should in- 

 clude the three middle combs. After noon, 

 if the sun shines warmly, she is usually near- 

 ly outside the brood-circle and may step 

 over on to an unoccupied comb ; so at this 

 time of the day I would not examine the 

 center combs first. By these observances 

 the (jueen may be found on the first comb 

 examined, one-third of the time, and the 

 second comb would include one-half of the 

 times. 



If the hive were opened carefully and the 

 frames handled accordingly, we shall find the 

 qu?en busily engaged at inspecting cells and 

 laying eggs. At first the light does not disturb 

 her ; but in a moment or two she will be- 

 come disturbed and start oft" on a rambling 

 tour, so what we do should be done quickly. 



Use the small scissors from the counter 

 store, holding them about half open ; follow 

 the point along three-fourths of an inch, 

 directly over the queen wherever she moves. 

 Soon she will put her head into a cell and 

 keep it there about two seconds. At the 

 same time her wings rise up at about 2.5 de- 

 grees, when one outside wing may be caught 

 and clipped «s soon as caught. This is the 

 easiest, quickest, and best way. One-half 

 of the time is usually si)ent in catching. 

 Now, you may try this and fail ; but the 

 cause of failure is generally because the 

 scissors are held three inches above the 

 queen ; then when she stops you move the 

 scissors to make the clip. She starts for 

 another cell just in time to save a wing, 

 ^'our sudden movement attracts the atten- 

 tion of an attendant bee, which flies up and 

 alights on the points of the scissors. Becom- 



